When last I left, I had teased you with the introduction of a new box on the dresser in the bedroom. My cousin informed me that I left her hanging!!! You see these two wooden boxes each have a secret.

I love boxes and have quite a collection – from cardboard band boxes (reproduction) to a French leather hat box, a hair on hide carriage trunk, and of course my huge immigrants trunk. Boxes are a versatile way to hide things in plain site. These boxes hide a lot of my Christmas and seasonal decor in the room where I use them. Makes things easier.

But in the case of these two wooden boxes they are different. The box now on the dresser, I inherited from my folks. I was first introduced to these marvelous boxes after my parents returned from the east coast where they had just traveled. Living in the Midwest, it’s rare to come across these types of boxes.

You see these two wooden boxes are desks. Commonly known in the 18th century as writing slopes, lap desks (though they are so heavy I can’t imagine using one on your lap), or traveling desks, people stored and stacked them easily. Craftsmen designed them to hold paper, writing tools, ink, and sand in one neatly organized package. The fact that these boxes were beautifully made with the most attractive and foreign woods, made them a treasure for any 18th and early 19th Century home.

Many years ago I received a phone call from my mom asking me to come over immediately. She had been inspecting one of the two wooden boxes and discovered an engraving on the lock. Although, she’d had the box for many years, she never noticed the engraving. Being the good dutiful daughter I immediately got in my car and headed over to her home. Her enthusiasm was palpable.

On a bright Saturday morning, the desk was placed on the dining table with the sun streaming in. Magnifying glass in hand she says take a look. Sure enough I could see there was something – not a signature but their were marks. Our imagination absolutely ran away with us. Could that be a T and a J? Could this be a box made by Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved carpenter who had made several. Jefferson was known to give these slopes as gifts because he found them so useful. And of course, we had seen one in Monticello. We had both toured this majestic home on different vacations. A lot of discussion and squinting ensued.

Doing the best I could to take photos of the engraving with my iPhone I took the info home with me and started my sleuthing. Many hours later, I locked in on a British Company making writing slopes and I was able to date that one to around 1820. Turns out it was obviously a P the mark identical. Unfortunately, I lost my notes on it, and someone bought that one at the estate sale. I don’t have photos, but that desk certainly created a fond memory.

The box on the chest is one of her “lesser” slopes I’m sure bought for a very good price. The wood and brasses are glorious.

As I was taking it apart this morning I realized it is in some desperate need of restoration. This will make a new project for the future. It was fun to reintroduce myself to it. I opened it for the first time in almost 4 years. What was I in search of? The secret compartments of course! I am a sucker for secret compartments. I started by taking out the implement tray and removed the two small partitions.

It appeared to have a hidden mechanism and I pushed the lever – then pop! The front panel broke away.

That satisfying pop gave way to two hidden drawers underneath the implement tray. Oh I knew I could do it! Yes!!! The drawers are shallow and small but they were designed to hold small valuables. Then I was even able to put it back together. Would you know there were drawers behind there? The latch mechanism works just as well now as it did 200 years ago. Amazing!

The square compartments are for holding your ink bottles. The slope surface traditionally covered in leather like this one or baize a velvety type fabric. I’m going to have to do some soul searching about that leather. It is quite tattered, as you can see. This slope is a lap desk. It is smaller than my other box and it doesn’t have handles, therefor not designed for traveling. Come on look at that wood. It’s so pretty!!!

I introduced you to the other slope in this post Quester’s Dining Table. This has been such a fun addition to my home. This box I acquired years ago at the very first Junk Stock Festival in Omaha. After an unforgettable road trip with my sister, during which we visited our cousins in Indiana and my niece in Cleveland, we naturally spent time picking treasures along the way. By the time I returned home, I had gathered so many finds that, as soon as I opened the hatch on my jeep, everything slid out of the car before I even had a chance to unload!

A few days later my daughter and I went to Junk Stock. It was a rainy spring day full of mud! Buried under a bunch of stuff I saw this box. It wasn’t open but I could tell from the side of it what it was. Making a beeline for the booth I started to unearth it. The dealer said “make me an offer”. The tag said WWII desk 365.00. I just wanted to look at it. The things going thru my mind?

This desk is undoubtedly much older, considerably more valuable, and I knew it hid some fascinating secret compartments waiting to be uncovered! Again the dealer says to me “make me an offer”. I said no I’m just looking and I don’t want to insult you. Frankly, even knowing it was worth way more than 365.00, I just wasn’t in the market. I had spent so many $$$$ on our trip I needed to recoup. Again she said “make me an offer”. Again I said really I don’t want to insult you. She said “make me an offer”. (Is this begging?). My head said 195.00 my mouth said 175.00. I came home with the box and yes, it has secret compartments! The rest is history.

This desk is a traveling desk. It is larger and has the handles on the sides. It came with a couple of ink bottles and some nibs which was a fun discovery. The ink bottles on the plate are from my mom’s collection. Turkey feathers were commonly used as writing implements because they were sturdy. The box has tiny ivory knobs on the covers for the storage.

Traveling Desks almost always had reinforced corners with brass to withstand the rigors of hard travel in a carriage and rutted roads. An educated gentleman would have one for correspondence and those hidden compartments designed to store valuables and a lock to keep prying eyes out of his correspondence. They were also popular in the military. There compact shape and inset handles made for easy stacking and storing. Thus Campaign hardware!

I love things that are “oddments”. Things from the past that we in a modern world are not familiar with. I don’t know the real story of these two wooden boxes, it may have served someone in WWII but it certainly served someone long before that. I suspect this may have been a family piece. How sad to think it survived in one family for almost 200 years only to be unappreciated by the next generation. Too bad, but I have given it new life and it has given me a new story. That is a win win.

Do you have a great story? Share it with me.

Thanks for stopping

Shelley